SeaWorld confirms it's ending its Orca breeding program

It's only taken years of protest and several documentaries, but US-based aquatic entertainment park, SeaWorld, has finally announced that it will be putting its Orca breeding program to an end.

Thankfully, after over five decades of using killer whales to entertain the masses in theatrical shows, the company has revealed that it will no longer be holding the animals in captivity. Which is a custom many people have been labelling animal cruelty for years.

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The announcement marks a victory for long-standing campaigners

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In a blog post on the website, SeaWorld wrote that "times have changed, and we are changing with them."

"The killer whales currently in our care will be the last generation of killer whales at SeaWorld. The company will end all orca breeding as of today. We always put the health and well-being of the whales first."

And it's likely the move has come following the huge criticism of the detrimental impact keeping the orcas in captivity has on the animals. The documentary Blackfish followed the story of Tilikum, one of SeaWorld's most famed killer whales, who has notoriously caused the deaths of three orca trainers.

It's widely believed that the aggression the male orca displayed, which weighs 12,500 lb and measures 22 feet in length, was as a direct result of the maltreatment he has suffered. Having been captured (admittedly not by SeaWorld themselves) and separated from his family at a young age, he has since been confined to a pool that - proportionately - would be no bigger than the equivalent of a coffin for us.

So today represents a victory for campaigners, who have continually insisted it is inhumane to keep animals in such poor surroundings.

"We love our whales and so do many of our visitors," Joel Manby, President and Chief Executive Officer of SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc wrote, "and this is about doing the best thing for our whales, our guests, our employees and SeaWorld."

"We've helped make orcas among the most beloved marine mammals on the planet. As society's understanding of orcas continues to change, SeaWorld is changing with it."